


How It Could Have Been

by tresa_cho



Category: Star Trek (2009)
Genre: Angst, Awkwardness, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-08-25
Updated: 2011-08-25
Packaged: 2017-10-23 01:34:03
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/244787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tresa_cho/pseuds/tresa_cho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kirk goes to thank Sulu for stalling, and thus saving the Enterprise.</p>
            </blockquote>





	How It Could Have Been

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Second Annual Sulu-Off, hosted by the lovely oldblueeyes. Original prompt here: http://old-blueeyes.livejournal.com/119939.html?thread=2284163#t2284163

A light tap at his door caught his attention, forcing him out of his bed to the entrance of his quarters. He opened the door to reveal Kirk standing on the other side, features almost drowned out by the flood of light from the hall. Hikaru snapped to attention. Kirk chuckled. "At ease. Spock is captain again. Can I come in?"

"Uh, yes, sure..." Hikaru gestured to his room. Kirk actually looked nervous, stepping into the room and standing awkwardly. His throat was a patchwork of bruises, his eye swollen. He looked awful. "How can I help you?"

"I wanted to thank you," Kirk said, shoving his hands in his pockets. "You stalled the ship. You bought us enough time to come out of this whole thing alive." Hikaru couldn't suppress the snort of disbelief. Kirk smirked. "It's true. If you hadn't stalled, I wouldn't have woken up in time. We'd be dead."

"You don't know that," Hikaru said, suddenly self-conscious. He'd never had his faults praised before. "They could have stopped firing anyway." Kirk shook his head.

"I don't believe that."

An uncomfortable silence settled over them. Hikaru stared at him, trying once again to get a grasp on this man James Kirk, the one who flaunted the rules and beat the Kobayashi Maru.

"I, uh, guess I'll be going then..." Kirk shifted from foot to foot, and turned for the door. Hikaru narrowed his eyes.

"Do you have assigned quarters?" he asked before he could stop himself. Kirk paused, casting a wary glance back at him. He slowly shook his head. "McCoy snuck you on board- you were never assigned quarters." Kirk nodded miserably. "And with the injured overflowing MedBay, there are scarce few bunks left." Kirk nodded again. "McCoy can't put you up?"

"Bones is busy with the patients. I couldn't pull him away if I wanted to," Kirk said with a sad smile. He made it to the door and commanded it open. Hikaru jumped forward, stretching his arm across the doorway to bar Kirk's path.

"Stay," he said, knowing he was doing the right thing. Kirk's eyes went wide. Hikaru shut the door, plunging the room into semi-darkness once more.

"You always keep it this dark in here?" Kirk asked, desperate to break the silence. Hikaru returned to the bed, sitting on it heavily.

"I have a migraine," he said. Kirk's mouth formed an 'oh' and he fell silent. Hikaru took pity on him and patted the bed beside him. Kirk sank onto the mattress, nudging shoulders with Hikaru.

"You should sleep," Kirk suggested. Hikaru shifted, picking absently at his sleep clothes.

"How's your arm?" Hikaru asked instead, trying to shift the conversation away from him. Kirk lifted a confused eyebrow. "We landed on it pretty hard after Vulcan. Is it all right?" Kirk shrugged. Hikaru took a breath. "Do you need to use the 'fresher? Go ahead. You can grab a change of clothes from my closet."

"Actually, I think I will. Thanks, Sulu." Kirk stood from the bed, and the light clicked on in the 'fresher. Hikaru couldn't hold himself up any longer, and lay back, closing his eyes.

He started awake with a sharp gasp when a hand closed over his arm. "Whoa, Sulu. It's me. You were moaning. Are you all right?"

"You done with the shower?" Hikaru groaned. His headache flared with a vengeance when he moved, to try and get eyes on Kirk.

"Yeah. I borrowed your toothbrush, I hope you don't mind."

Hikaru waved a weak hand. " 's all right. Com'ere." He slid over in the bunk, pulling the sheets back. Kirk hesitated, looking too shy to be wearing nothing but a pair of drawstring pants slung low over his hipbones. Hikaru's eyes fell on Kirk's arm. "Jesus, Kirk." He pushed himself up onto his elbows despite the spike of pain that arched through his skull.

Kirk followed his gaze and shrugged. In the dim light, the bruises stood out darker against his pale skin- his arm was almost completely purple. His ribs had a dark splotch spreading around towards his back.

"You need to go to Medical," Hikaru said urgently. Kirk shrugged again, smaller this time.

"Bones has more dire injuries to worry about. I can wait. I've had worse."

Hikaru wasn't sure which comment to be more concerned about. He patted the bed again, and Kirk sank onto the mattress with a barely repressed hiss of pain. "God. You're impossible," Hikaru said quietly. "Lay back. If you kick me in your sleep, I'll kill you." Kirk laughed breathlessly as Hikaru killed the rest of his lights.

Kirk's heat radiated beside him, and Hikaru shifted, trying to keep as little contact as possible between him and his former CO. He's not sure how he managed to fall asleep, but sometime later Kirk's voice pulled him awake once more.

"Hey. Hey, it's all right. Wake up." Kirk's lips brushed his ear, murmuring soft words to him. Hikaru moaned, his face smashed against Kirk's chest, unsure why he felt utterly crushed and disoriented and nauseous. "You're all right. Shh."

"God. Sorry." Hikaru tried to free himself of the tangle of Kirk's arms, but the man held him firm. "I'm sorry."

"Relax, Sulu," Kirk said softly, breath washing over Hikaru's skin. "It's all right. I've gotcha. I miss them too."

Hikaru didn't cry. He tucked his face into the crook of Kirk's shoulder and breathed. Breathed in the man's scent, heard the thunder of both their hearts shuddering in their chests, felt the slide of skin on skin, slicked by sweat. He was alive. Kirk was alive. They had lost so many, but it could have been worse. It could have been so much worse. They could have lost Earth.

Kirk's hand found his hair, soothing it back from his forehead. Hikaru realised he had dug his fingers into Kirk's skin, and quickly yanked his hands back. "Do you need anything? Water?" he asked, shocked by how rough his voice sounded.

"I'm good. Go back to sleep, Sulu."

"Hikaru," he said, exhaling against Kirk's skin. "Hikaru..."

It was odd, waking up the next morning plastered against someone he hadn't had sex with. Hikaru drifted to awareness realising first, that his head still hurt like a bitch, and second that he was just in time to stop himself from drooling all over Kirk's firmly muscled chest. He carefully lifted himself onto his elbows, barely avoiding pinching Kirk's skin with his arm. They were well and truly tangled together. Hikaru couldn't move without waking Kirk.

The bruises around Kirk's throat had darkened during their sleep, and Hikaru traced a light finger along the marks, noting with cold fury that two sets of hands had grasped his throat- not just Spock's. Too weary to hold his head up, Hikaru lowered himself against Kirk once again, intent on falling back to sleep. Kirk's hand wandered along his spine, and his breathing changed as he woke with a slight groan.

Hikaru hummed empathetically, touching his lips to Kirk's skin. "Everything hurts," Kirk said. Hikaru jerked, realising exactly how inappropriate it was to kiss a commanding officer. Shit.

"Hey, hey. It's all right," Kirk said, dragging a hand through Hikaru's hair. "We spent all night wrapped around each other. I think we could be termed 'friends'. I owe you." Hikaru stilled.

"You don't 'owe' me this," he said forcefully. Kirk looked frightened for a moment.

"No, no. God- That's... That's not what I meant. I mean, if you want to have a go, I would. You're insane hot and competent and... an amazing person. You have a blank cheque on my sex registrar- but only if you want to. God this is awkward." Kirk clamped his mouth shut before he could shove his foot any further in it. "I meant that I owe you for putting me up last night."

"You saved my life. I think we can call it even," Hikaru said with a smile. Kirk laughed, reaching for Hikaru's face. He pressed his fingers to Hikaru's temples, rubbing gently. "What are you-"

"Massage. It helps my migraines sometimes." Kirk's hands found their way to the back of Hikaru's head, rubbing soothing circles in skin. Hikaru let himself relax. "Seriously, dude. Thanks."

"Any time," Hikaru said. And he meant it.


End file.
